"A warehouse is a business place, and entering an unlocked one for inquiry is hardly trespassing. I was on my way out, too, when they jumped me."

"Yeah, got all that. The kind of job you do requires a certain trust, though. A trust that you've earned with Ishikawa, and that you will have to make an effort to earn with the new people on top, who, speaking of which, might believe you still have loyalties for Ishikawa, since you did a lot of work for her. All that said, I think there would be a payday that would let you put your ninja'ing days behind you and retire in a fancy brothel if that's what you feel like, if you stick this out with me. And you can probably collect money from Ishikawa along the way, since we'll be doing some of her work, too."

"But I guess this doesn't interest you, because you don't have friends and you don't have trust, and both are things that you'd need right now to come along. Here's the horse."

Takao hands over the reigns.

RZA thinks about that for a moment, then nods.

"Now and then, I wish I lived in your world, cutter," he says. "If you survive this...then maybe the bloody Heavens are on your side, after all."

He takes the reins and gives Takao a wistful smile. "Good luck, you daft bastard." With a snap of the leather, he sets the horse galloping toward the sunset, leaving Takao behind on the outskirts of town, ronin once more.

Takao shoves the swords back into his obi and turns back towards the town. He wished the ninja hadn't brought them back; now he'd have to avoid the law in addition to avoiding the criminals, at least til he finds a new place to stow them. But he needed to see what was along the canal that the criminals had cleared, and he also wanted to wait until the river barge arrived, to see where it's shipment would go.

So, back to the canal, to view adjoining properties.

Takao wanders back to the closed-off canal, with an eye looking out for the mysterious archer - but he does not return. Mura is no doubt hatching his next scheme to get rid of Takao already, but the ronin knows he's getting close to something important.

(Takao's Notice: 1d20+16 = 33)

There! A lone house whose front porch has remained undisturbed for weeks, judging from the even layer of dust on the wood and door, but there are many footsteps still visible at the back door in the soft and wet ground leading to the canal. Making sure that nobody's watching and that there are no sounds inside, Takao slips into the house. Instead of furniture, the house holds fabric-wrapped bundles - one of them apparently already opened for inspection. Takao snaps up on the many identical leaflets from inside. There must be hundreds - thousands - of those in here.

Citizens of the empire! Rise up against the Seven Devils!

Your emperor is long gone, but his corrupt machinery perpetuates itself on your backs! How long will the so-called High Lords take what they want? How long will you let the nobles oppress you? Take charge of your fate, citizens! Stand ready when the time comes! Together, we will triumph!

(Takao's Investigate: 1d20+17 = 32)

There is no difference visible to another leaflet - those were made by a machine, not a scribe, and who but the foreigners have the machines to produce so many? An obvious conclusion - too obvious, perhaps, as Takao can think of no reason why the foreigners living in Kargbeck or elsewhere would want to instigate a rebellion. If, however, one needed a threat to rally the capital against...

Takao stuffs several of the leaflets into the sleeve of his kimono. The he leaves the building again, checking first through the windows to make sure nobody sees him.

Now what, he wonders, back in the street beside the canal. No answers, just new mysteries. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

First things first. He'll never figure out how the ninja got his weapons, let alone how he knew where they might be. Right now, he couldn't use them, so it was best to bring them back where they came from. If that got him a free escort to Lady Ishikawa, so much the better; he needed to see her anyway. He didn't have much to show yet, but he now had at least some evidence up his sleeve. Takao chuckled to himself at the thought of the dreadful pun. He wasn't too worried about any fallout of his warehouse encounter. In fact, it would give him a chance to see if the Lady acted on her word.

Off to the pawn shop, then.

Takao sneaks back out and heads back to the city proper. His first stop is the pawnshop, and - long story short - the proprietor is not particularly happy about the return of items that should still be in his vault. So, yeah, that gets him a free escort to the Hall of Justice indeed, where Mura's already chewing Lady Ishikawa's ears off - what's left of them anyway.

"This is an outrage!" Mura shouts. "This...this thug on your payroll not only assaulted me and accused me of crimes, but now he's going around breaking into my property and assaulting my employees! Is this your grand new vision of justice, Lady Ishikawa? You should not pay this man, you should arrest him on the spot!"
"He's not one of my men, Mura," Ishikawa replies cooly. "Just because I have let you go does not mean you have been found innocent of those accusations - which we will investigate same as any other citizen bringing accusations against another. He believed you were a flight risk - an assessment I cannot disagree with - and made a citizen's arrest. Air your grievances against him in court, but leave me out of it. On the matter of the break-in and the assault, I can assure you that we will also investigate this very thoroughly - but unless you were there in person, which I happen to know you were not, you should not speak so confidently about events you have not witnessed."
"Pah!" Mura spits. "I shall let you know that I will have dinner with Lord Itanu this very week to discuss your vision of 'justice', Milady! If you will not protect the humble merchants that are the lifeblood of our grand Empire, then I have little use for you and your men!"
"We serve all citizens of this grand Empire, Mura," Ishikawa ripostes. "But I have given quite enough time to your concerns. Attend to your own matters now."
"Pah!" Mura repeats, then turns and storms out. As he does so, he spots Takao being led by two officers and glares at him, almost bumping shoulders before he loses his nerve and alters course. Ishikawa doesn't even need to say anything - she just points to Takao and bends her index finger in the universal gesture of "Get over here".

Inside the office, Ishikawa lets out a big sigh.

"I should keep you under arrest for the night," she says, "just to have a few hours where you are not making my job harder than it already is. I don't know what you did, but unless we can substantiate your accusations against Mura, the courts won't look very favorable on you." She shakes her head. "I'll spare you the lectures. Tell me what you've found out."

"I did nothing a concerned, upstanding citizen wouldn't have done", Takao responds in a very flat tone.

He draws the leaflets from is kimono sleeves and drops them on the desk. "Clues, but no solid evidence. I found them in an empty house, right along the route that Iromi and Hideo were supposed to be watching that night. I'm quite certain that this is what Mura was trying to cover up, but I don't know why yet. I also don't think he's the brains behind what's going on. This smells of something much bigger."

"It looks foreign-made, doesn't it? I don't think the foreigners are behind this, though, except as unwitting pawns. Someone wants to galvanize the city, or worse. I happen to know that Mura is awaiting a barge of gonnes, too, tomorrow or the next day. I originally thought someone was equipping a private army, but seeing these leaflets brings up much more sinister possibilities."

"Do all of your policemen wear uniform? You could seize the leaflets now and deal a blow to the conspiracy, but it would be much more effective to wait and see who comes to pick them up. It would also be good to see who Mura will meet in the next few days."

Takao scratches his neck below his left ear.

"Have you ever heard of an archer who rises from the lake and shoot steel-shafted arrows from a bow bigger than a daikyu?"

Ishikawa inspects the leaflets.

"An uprising," she says, finally. "There are enough people in this city who feel that our leadership has ill-served them - and if given the arms to do so, they will try to take what they want with force. A barge train full of gonnes...would give us days of fighting. I doubt my men could handle it alone. Troops would have to be sent in. My methods are discredited, the blood of those who have grievances against the system runs in the street, and leaflets like these are found, with the foreigners blamed. How easy it is to justify anything and everything in a war..."

She looks to Takao. "You know as well as I do that there are limits to what I can do," she says. "But your words of a common cause between us ring true now."

"I cannot send my policemen without their uniforms - imagine them caught in such, and made to answer for subterfuge - perhaps even blamed for trying to fan the flames!" She bangs her fist on the table. "A ronin and a single Lady will do little good against the forces arrayed in support of this conspiracy," she says. "We require allies. You are known to Lord Shira, are you not? He and I may not be friends, but he trusts my judgment. Perhaps if we both appeal to him, we can sway him to our side and make sure that he speaks out against mobilization. His voice is heeded by all in matters of war."

"And yes, I have heard of the cowardly attack on your life - a guide named Ta was through here in a panic and begged for our protection. We have come across two victims in recent weeks killed with such arrows, but we have not yet succeeded at identifying the shooter. Whoever he is, his shots fly far and true. What did you see, Takao?"

"I'm mostly worried about the random casualties of war... or rebellion, in this case. Whoever is behind the leaflets will doubtlessly be in control of troops in the conflict, maybe even on both sides. How easy it would be to remove an enemy, and blame it on the general confusion. And I can only assume that there are many, even among the nobles and perhaps the High Lords, who would like to see you and your new system removed. Perhaps they even gave you the leeway you have currently to give yourself all opportunity to make yourself unpopular... the saying 'enough rope to hang oneself with' comes to mind."

Takao paces as he reviews the options and the problems. "I'm glad I have convinced you of our common cause. Given that you are assuming a large array of forces in this conspiracy, I in turn have to assume that you have suspicions of who might be masterminding this plot."

"There are several options from here. You could seize the leaflets, and the weapons. It would slow the conspiracy down, but not stop it. On the other extreme, we could both fall into the hands of the enemy, and observe who is picking them up and where they are moved, to collect evidence of the extent of the network, which would be more valuable in the long term. Nevertheless, I think that removing the weapon shipment from the equation is a good idea. If you cannot seize the shipment legally because it is legitimate, I would assume that you can still bury it in paperwork and stop it from going anywhere for a while. The leaflets, on the other hand, may be more valuable to lure the criminals out of their holes, but it would need some help from someone who is a bit more, ah, discreet - which I am not, as I am sure you have noticed. I think I may know someone for this job, though."

"I have had the honor of being introduced to Lord Shira, yes. He is very... traditional. I don't think we have enough evidence yet to sway him, but if you appeal to him, I will support you. At the very least he might be wiling to reign in the madness that could arise from a rebellion, even if he lends no other support."

"The archer, yes. I could hardly believe my eyes. It was as if he rose from the lake and stood on the water itself. He fired a single arrow, a massive steel shaft, which would have struck true were it not for the unexpected reflexes of a mutual acquaintance. Then he sank back beneath the waves, like a ghost. Have you heard other rumors of such an archer? Incidentally, I happened to *cough* notice a crate of these unique arrows while I was *ahem* defending myself against the brash laborers in Mura's warehouse. Indeed, our mutual friend seems to think that the archer was sent for me by Mura, as if Mura was afraid I might have seen something in the warehouse that he wanted to keep hidden." Takao is quick to direct the increasingly stern look in Lady Ishikawa's eyes to a new issue: "Can the police search a location, if there is reasonable cause that contraband or similar might be hidden there? I would assume there isn't much time to waste, since Mura might have already started moving whatever was in the warehouse."

Ishikawa sits and nods through Takao's explanation before coming up with her own words.

"First things first," she begins. "It would be within my power to seize the shipment of gonnes, but we've pushed too far on Mura already, and if we inconvenience him again with no concrete evidence to show for our actions, then the public will likely side with him. Even if we do not provoke him further, I do not like our chances with the judges to allow us to search Mura's warehouse, particularly to do so in a hurry based only on your testimony. We could use the leaflets as justification for having every shipment in and out of the city searched, on suspicion of an organized uprising - but that means the conspiracy will abandon this scheme and leave us without a solid lead again, not to mention that we will have to greatly reduce patrols in the city to find enough men for such a search campaign."

"There is another option that might appeal to you: go to the warehouse and start another commotion. When my men are called to arrest you, show them the crate with the arrows - when they are invited into the place to begin with, and the evidence is in plain sight, we will not need a judge's order to act." Ishikawa smirks behind her mask. "Which would of course be very much against the law if you were in my employ, or if I paid and ordered you to do it. But you are not, and we are speaking of possibilities, are we not?"

"That would work, unless the crate is gone. Mura has had some time to clean up, unfortunately. Well, I guess I can have a peek into the warehouse, and I'll only start a commotion if I spot that crate."

Takao grins:" Indeed, iI am not in your employ, and I cannot recall most of the rest of the conversation. See you at the warehouse in a bit, my lady."

Takao rises and bows. Time to search the warehouse again!

With a verbal wink to Lady Ishikawa, Takao leaves to kick the hornets' nest once more.

(Fun history fact: FIFA recognizes the ancient Chinese game of 'Cuju' as the first form of football mentioned in written history.)

And when he reaches the warehouse, boy, does he ever find a big fat hornet. Master Mura himself in all his glory (and bulk) is there to take stock of the mess Takao made of the place earlier, and he is less than enthused with Takao walking into his place again, to put it lightly.

To put it not lightly:

"Scoundrel!" Mura hollers as he turns to face Takao, all but blowing steam out of his nostrils as his face takes on the color of a particularly nice sunset. "Why do you hound me, you madman? What gives you the right?"

Takao only needs to glance to the side to see that, while the crate has been moved, there are still some arrows scattered all over the mess on the floor.

With his glance, Takao also takes in how many other workers are present. After all, someone has to go fetch the police when fists start flying.

Without much ado, Takao strides towards Mura. "Madman? I think not. Irritated man, yes, but not quite mad yet. You really wouldn't like me when I'm mad."

"But your self-righteous indignation is a good way to start if you want to piss me off." Takao grabs Mura by the obi and pulls him close. Takao's voice is a low and even Toshiro Mifune-rumble. "You have murdered at least two people, as far as I know. Lady Ishikawa may think that scum like you should have rights, but I disagree. And I don't think your crimes end there. I just show up here, and you send some mysterious bowman after me. I want to know what you are hiding, and I think I'm going to start with beating it out of you. We can see about the appropriate punishment for murder afterwards."

The five workers (among them the one who ran away earlier to get the cops) stand frozen in fear as Takao manhandles Mura. The merchant has no reply for Takao's speech - he knows he's in for it, whether he talks or fights or does nothing.

(Takao's Notice: Roll 1: 1d20+16: 1d20(14) 16(16) = 30)

But that's the thing...nobody's running away, or calling out for help. What Takao can hear, however, are distant, unhurried footsteps, and they're coming closer.

Yes, there had been a nagging in the back of Takao's mind on the way here: what if the Mura Co. realized that calling in the cops would bring in greater trouble than dealing with a lone ronin?
He curses himself inwardly. At least he should have send a street urchin running for the cops as soon as he went in.

Oh well. Mistakes have been made. Time to salvage what's left.

Pretending not to notice the workers' reaction, Takao gives Mura a swift jab in the ribs to make him more docile, then drags him over to the arrows, where he stoops down and picks one up. "Say, these look familiar. That's actionable evidence. I'd say! Now perhaps the so-called Law in this town will listen!"

"And what's with you lot?", he asks the workers. "Did Mura cut your balls off after my last visit?" A brawl would be good, if the footsteps are who he thinks it is, but not just right now. Right now, it is time to prod the workers a bit and make sure they are ready to lash out by the time Takao needs that brawl.

Mura coughs as he vainly tries to recover from the blow, and can't help being dragged along by Takao to the arrows. "You'll...pay..." he wheezes.

Takao's words to the workers fall on deaf ears, as they keep staring - and as Takao now realizes, past him. He turns to catch a glimpse of the source of the footsteps, now only a few seconds away from the door - three figures, clad in black - a woman with a staff and a white headband, a thin man with holstered gonnes and white gloves, and a large man in the middle with a straight sword and a white sash running diagonally across his chest.

"You'll pay...now!" Mura cough-laughs.

Takao pushes Mura to the side and picks up an arrow.

"You're going through a lot of effort just to get rid of me, Mura." He turns to the newcomers. "I was hoping to meet the archer. I was going to ask how he did that thing in the lake." He waves the arrow as he speaks to emphasize the words, then slides it into his obi.

"Who are you, anyway? I like the black-and-white theme. Ties it all together."

Takao doesn't quite feel as flippant as he's acting. If he had his weapons, things would be different, but right now he's outnumbered three to one with no weapons.

OOC:
Anticipate vs the gonne man: d20+25 = 30 +5 (29) to Defense if successful.

"It's real simple," the gonneman says. "We're the ones asking questions, and you're gonna come with us. Now, if that happens now or if that happens after we kick your loudmouthed ass up and down this warehouse is up to you."

He smirks behind his mask.

"You like the black and white, huh? Well, I prefer black and blue. Make your move, pal. 'cause mine's gonna be ugly."

Interesting, Takao thinks to himself. So long as they want to ask questions, I have something to work with.

"Big words, little man. Are you going to administer that beating yourself? Or does 'we' mean you're going to hide behind your friends and your gonnes like the whiny little bitch you are? What do you do in this outfit, anyway? No, let me guess - with your penchant for colors, you must be the fashion queen!"

OOC:

1st half action: Taunt the gonne man: d20+25 = 35
2nd half action: Anticipate the gonne man again: d20+25 = 37

(Both the Taunt and Anticipate succeed. With that, it's Initiative!

Takao: Roll 1: 2d20.hi+12: 2d20.hi(16,12) 12(12) = 28
Firebolt: Roll 1: 2d20.hi+19: 2d20.hi(10,14) 19(19) = 33

Firebolt assumes Freerunning stance, uses Quick Draw to draw two gonnes, then aims a Decisive Shot at Takao:
Roll 1: 1d20+18: 1d20(2) 18(18) = 20 MISS!)

"Have it your way," the gonneman says - then quickly fills his hands and blasts away at Takao - but the canny ronin has seen that one coming, and easily dodges the wild shot.